Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned from his formal role with the Church

Home » Blog » Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned from his formal role with the Church

Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned from his role as an Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Oxford, following criticism in an independent review of the Church’s handling of abuse carried out by Bishop Peter Ball in 2015.

The review which was led by Dame Moria Gibb, revealed that he had failed to pass information on Ball to the Police and that they had been a failure by the Church, “ to respond appropriately to misconduct over a period of many years.”

Ball who is the former Bishop of Lewes and Gloucester was jailed in October 2015 for sex offences against 18 teenagers and young men between the 1970’s and 1990’s. The review produced evidence that Lord Carey had received, “various letters from families and individuals following the arrest and cautioning of Ball in 1992 for gross indecency, but failed to pass six of them to the Police. He also chose not to put Ball on the Church of England’s “Lambeth List”, which names clergymen about whom questions of suitability for ministry have been raised.”

The current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby asked for Lord Carey’s resignation. The Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford, said: “I have met with Lord Carey following the Archbishop’s letter to him. In light of Dame Moira Gibb’s review into the Peter Ball case, Lord Carey has resigned from his role as Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Oxford. Lord Carey has accepted the criticisms made of him in the Gibb review and has apologised to the victims of Peter Ball.”

He commented further, “Along with many others, I have been deeply distressed to read Dame Moira Gibb’s report with its narrative of the abuse perpetrated by Peter Ball which remained hidden for so long. I hope that the focus of attention will continue to be on the survivors of abuse and offering to them the care and support they need. As the Diocese of Oxford we are committed to improving continually the quality of safeguarding and care.”

Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft said that he hoped that the diocese, “would learn lessons from the review and put its recommendations into practice”.

If you have been affected by anything in this article, please contact our child abuse team for advice on pursuing a civil damages claim. We represent victims who have suffered abuse by religious organisations and can provide expert support and legal advice.